NFL Power Rankings Week 7

NFL Week 7 Power Rankings

1. Denver Broncos (4-1)

The Broncos are having another good season guided by the offensive genius Peyton manning, and so far this season their plugged-up defense seems to be performing much better than last season.

2. Sandiego Chargers (5-1)

The Chargers are surprising everyone, with both their offense and defense clicking. Phillip Rivers is bringing himself back into the elite Quarterback conversation, although he’ll need to carry his team to a Super Bowl appearance before I can belay him with any titles beyond a good regular season QB.

Tied at 3 (At least until either of these teams loses or faces each other for the first time)

3.a. Philadelphia Eagles (5-1)

My Eagles are a resilient team. They have a great offense when LeSean McCoy gets the touches he needs, but struggle when Pat Shurmur, the offensive coordinator, fails to realize this and relies on an average at best QB in Nick Foles. Thankfully the special teams performance has picked up the slack.

3.b. Dallas Cowboys (5-1)

When you have a running back like DeMarco Murray, ride him to victory. He is the league’s leading rusher and a very capable Tony Romo benefits from it. Not to mention the offensive line that is opening up the running lanes for Murray are also keeping Romo relatively safe.

5. Arizona Cardinals (4-1)

The Cardinals may have gotten blown out by the Broncos, but during the game, their 2nd string QB, Drew Stanton, was injured which forced them to put in the 3rd string QB. They have beaten good teams (San Diego & San Francisco), and with Carson Palmer set to return, they look to stave off the 49ers and Seahawks for tops in the NFC West.

6. Seattle Seahawks (3-2)

Here we have the reigning Super Bowl Champions. Yes they lost a game to the Chargers early in the season, but that may sound less awful as the season progresses. They still have a lock-down defense, and they have a productive offense when their primary focus is on run plays. They are still the team to beat, although the Cowboys confirmed that if you control the clock, you control the Hawks.

7. Indianapolis Colts (4-2)

Andrew Luck and company dropped their first two games against the two most potent offensive teams in the league. Since then, they have gotten into a rhythm, although their true test is against divisional rival Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football.

8. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)

Overcoming off-season troubles, controversies, and negativity, the Ravens are having a strong start to their season. The offense is playing surprisingly well thanks to a rejuvenated run game, and Steve Smith Sr. proving age shouldn’t dictate a player’s value.

9. Detroit Lions (4-2)

Megatron (Calvin Johnson) is injured and aching, which is never good for the Lions offense. It’s a good thing they have the #1 defense right now. Expect them to put up better games once both their star receiver and Reggie Bush return to the line-up

10. New England Patriots (4-2)

The Patriots offense seems to be back on track, and once again Tom Brady shows his ability to work with any set of receivers. We’ll see how the absence of Jarrod Mayo (MLB) and Stevan Ridley (RB) affects the remainder of the season.

11. Green Bay Packers (4-2)

“R.E.L.A.X.”, said Aaron Rodgers as he assured Packers fans that he has everything under control. Honestly he just might be right. He faces tough competition in the NFC North with the Bears and Lions showing their strength.

12. San Francisco 49ers (4-2)

Vic Fangio, the defensive coordinator, has managed to keep the 49ers defense solid even while missing several starters from the 2013 season. The offense is really what has been holding the team back from performing at a higher level.

13. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1-1)

Aside from the dismal performance against the Patriots in week 5’s Monday Night Football game, the Bengals have played good balanced games. Minimizing mistakes has been their motto. Unfortunately they caught the crappy kicker bug in last week’s match against the Panthers, preventing them from getting 4 victories in the win column.

14. Carolina Panthers (3-2-1)

Cam Newton tried to put on his Superman performance, but in the end it wasn’t enough to overcome the Bengals. Although around this time last year they picked up their momentum to finish tops in the division after an even worse start.

15. Cleveland Browns (3-2)

Remember Johnny Manziel a.k.a. “Johnny Football”? Neither do I. The Browns have been put to the test in close games and they are showing their resilience.

16. Houston Texans (3-3)

JJ Watt must be thinking of ways to play every position, alas football is not a one man show.

17. Chicago Bears (3-3)

If Jay Cutler can control the ball better, then the bears have a chance at staying relevant in their division.

18. Buffalo Bills (3-3)

It didn’t last long, but it must have felt nice to hold a lead in the division with Patriots for a change.

19. New York Giants (3-3)

The Giants usually falter in the second half of the season. Falling two games behind two of the best teams right now is not ideal.

20. Kansas City Chiefs (2-3)

The Chiefs have Jamaal Charles back, and look to get things going offensively.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3)

This is a struggling team who had to call their old enforcer, James Harrison, out of Retirement.

22. Miami Dolphins (2-3)

Miami can fight to be the #1 team in the city now that Lebron James has relocated to Cleveland. That’s pretty much the only thing they’ll be able to fight for this season.

23. New Orleans Saints (2-3)

Darren Sproles sure has been the same almighty utility player he has been for the last 2 seasons… thankfully he’s now on the Eagles. The Saints better hope they get the best 5th round pick in history to make up for the nonsensical trade.

24. Atlanta Falcons (2-4)

The Falcons used to make up for lackluster away performances with their dominant home game performances. Even in week 6 against the Bears they couldn’t get their act together.

25. Minnesota Vikings (2-4)

Well Teddy Bridgewater has a steep learning curve to make it as a NFL QB. Luckily for him, no one expected much from the Vikings ever since the Adrian Peterson debacle.

The your season is pretty much over already range.

26. Tennessee Titans (2-4)

They can’t seem to hold a lead against the worst of teams.

27. St. Louis Rams (1-4)

The silver lining to the Rams season is that Austin Davis gets a lot of practice, and the undrafted QB just may turn into a very formidable QB.

28. New York Jets (1-5)

The defense hasn’t helped them win any games.. but the offense is pitiful. The QBs are not their problem, just everyone they are supposed to throw it to, including the RBs.

29. Washington Redskins (1-5)

I hope RGIII has been studying film in his off time, and learned that he needs to stay grounded and in the pocket. He brought his latest injury on himself, this isn’t backyard football. That being said, the Redskins will be a much better team with him at QB.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5)

I feel bad for Lovie Smith, he walked into a coaching job for one of the most helpless teams. He can’t focus on bolstering his defense when the offense can’t stay on the field for longer than a set of downs.

31. Oakland Raiders (0-5)

Hey at least they came close to beating the Chargers.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-5)

Well they started off the season scoring 17 unanswered points against a current top 4 team, that should hold well for their future.